Too Modi-fied to ring true : The Tribune India

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Movie Review - PM Narendra Modi

Too Modi-fied to ring true

The question is not whether you are a Modi fan or not.

Too Modi-fied to ring true

A still from PM Narendra Modi



Nonika Singh

The question is not whether you are a Modi fan or not. As the man, rather the phenomenon who has returned to power with thumping majority, clearly he has more than one taker. So, a film on him is certainly in order and since its release comes a day after his party’s historic win in the Lok Sabha, clearly no rules have been flouted. But, sadly, the film on the most powerful man in the country is no more than a propaganda tool. 

That he needs a movie to cast his spell is of course more than doubtful. That any other actor can play him, whom only the other day Priyanka Gandhi called the biggest actor in the world, is equally impossible. So, what does the movie tell us that we already don’t know? Frankly, almost nothing! It is no more than repackaging of what is already in public domain replete with some half-baked truths and his bombastic one-liners with which he has smitten a billion-plus nation. 

Early on in the film, we learn that this is going to be Modi-fied reality. So, uncomfortable questions such as why he left his wife are simply glossed over. The reference to his shaadi is swept away and instead the director focuses on his spiritual inclinations. Yes, to be fair, the big blot on his political career, the Gujarat riots, is dealt with. Rather, a fair portion of the narrative is devoted to it. 

But make no mistake, contrary to what the Opposition would like us to believe, the film spins its own yarn. Instead, it shows him as someone deeply anguished by the tragedy.

We meet a chief minister who promised his people communal harmony and ensured communal riots did not occur in his state ever again. A la Bollywood we even have Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai kind of a scene. And it’s this chicanery and the attempt to keep things at surface level that devoid the film of any depth or substance or even cinematic pleasure. 

Expecting Vivek Oberoi to step into Modi’s larger- than-life persona is asking for the moon. To be fair, Oberoi does his best, given the limitation of linear character that he is saddled with and the fact that the real Modi is a far more powerful personality. Any wonder Oberoi sounds more hollow than inspirational in a film that is no more than a hagiography. Since the Congress family is depicted in sweeping unflattering strokes, the actors who are playing them can hardly add any flesh to their parts. 

The only two actors who make an impression in this Namo Namo Modi are Zarina Wahab and Boman Irani. 

Wahab as Modi’s mother appears sincere and gives us a moment or two and Irani as Tata breathes dignity and stature. Wish we could say the same about the film which at one point reads like Modi’s CV as his achievements in vibrant Gujarat are trumpeted and where facts alone are not the only casualty. Some drama is added when threat of a terror attack on his rally brings in momentum. 

Modi bhakt or not, someone sure needs to decode the astounding success of Narendra Modi. A cardboard cut-out that the film offers predictably adds little to his growing stature. Since Modi 2.0 is likely to be even bigger, hope someone can actually take us into his mind and heart. In short, something that can go beyond the rhetoric.

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